You Should Not (Stay)
by XSilverLiningsX
Summary: [Blade Runner AU, Kai/Hurk] Retired Blade Runner Kai finds himself reinstated in order to hunt down a pack of rogue Replicants. Composed of interconnected vignettes that are mostly chronological and follows the events of the film.
1. Chapter 1

Early in the 21st century, the MORRIGHAN Corporation advanced robot evolution into the FOMOR phase – a being virtually identical to a human – known as a _Replicant_.

The FOMOR-6 Replicants were superior in strength, agility, and at least equal in intelligence to the genetic engineers who created them.

Replicants were used off-world as slave labor in the hazardous exploration and colonization of other planets.

After a bloody mutiny by a FOMOR-6 combat team in the off-world colony of Colhen, Replicants were declared illegal on Tir-Na-Nog under penalty of death.

Special mercenaries, designated Blade Runners, are given full immunity and privilege to put down Replicants upon detection.

This was not execution.

This was retirement.


	2. Chapter 2

It was always raining in the city of Rocheste.

Thick clouds of damp smog and ash blocked out all the light of the sun and cast a perpetual shadow of night onto the city no matter the time of day. Tall towers, stained black from ages of burnt oil and dust, belched carbon fumes into the already poisoned skies as the enormous holographic advertisements stretched between buildings played endless loops of faceless and grinning people projected with harsh neon lights.

_Go off-world today!_ The flickering mouth of the giant hologram droned as nobody listened. _Adventure and boundless treasure awaits!_

What a load of bullshit.

Kai fixed the collar of his trenchcoat and shoved his way onto one of the stools in front of a tiny noodle store. He glared at the greasy owner until the man came over to take his order.

"Two bowls."

"Only one a customer. $5. Pay, or get out." The man challenged his glare with his own stink-eye.

"Tch." Kai dropped a crumpled bill on the counter and it disappeared into the owner's fist within a second.

A small bowl of bland ramen that was barely bigger than the palm of his hand slid over to his spot about a minute later. It was hardly steaming, but it was warm enough to temporarily counteract the freezing downpour battering the flimsy overhang.

Kai shoveled the food into his mouth as quickly as he could; he didn't want to hang around this part of town any longer than necessary.

It wasn't like the noodles were even tasty. It was simply fuel to keep him going for the rest of the day. That's how every facet of life went down in the city made of soot and ash, and that's how Kai had always known it to be.

The gleaming halls of the Cathedral – the other half of the city where the rich lived in relative comfort compared to everyone else – was nothing more than an empty legend to most, since it was practically common knowledge that anyone that could afford to leave the toxic wasteland that was Tir-Na-Nog would've done it by now.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, and Kai put down his chopsticks. His other hand had automatically reached for the gun in his leg-holster.

"The Captain wants to see you, Blade Runner."

Kai didn't need to turn around to put a face to go with the nasally sneer. He shrugged off the hand.

_Gallagher_. Ugh.

Kai picked his chopsticks back up. "I'm busy."

Gallagher said something incomprehensible underneath his breath and then muttered, "You're under arrest for the obstruction of justice."

"The hell I am." Kai finished off the last of his noodles.

Half an hour later, Kai found himself standing in the Rep-Department Captain's office with Gallagher smirking obnoxiously from his slouch at the door.

The 6-by-6 square room was just as dark and dusty as he remembered it. There were definitely more stacks of paper and the new lamp cast a muted blue light instead of the traditional fluorescent yellow, but all-in-all the office had barely changed since the last time Kai had walked in nearly half a decade ago. The off-colored venetian blinds were cracked just enough so that the occasional flash of neon from the surveillance drones floating outside would light up the room with lined shadows.

"I'm sorry, but there was no other way to get you here without having to write you up for property damage." Captain Aodhan offered Kai a cigarette during the spiel.

Kai took one and lit up. The smoke that trailed out from the end was thin and wispy – characteristic of the usual synthetic tobacco. "You know I'm done with the Reps."

"Yes. However," The older man slid a coffee-stained folder over to the other side of the desk. "We've run into a situation."

Kai quickly scanned the contents of the open folder, which contained brief profiles of four Replicants that were all nearing their deactivation dates. All had the same additional writing in the notes section:

_Escaped from transport. Killed all human crewmembers. Level: Dangerous  
_

"You don't need me. Don't you have Marrec and Ceara?" Kai shoved the folder back towards the Captain, who gave a resigned sigh.

"They were the first ones I put on the case, but…"

Kai raised an eyebrow. It wasn't every day that one saw the hardass, no-nonsense Captain of the Rep-Department hesitate during speaking.

"The skin-job we picked up – the big guy – shot both of them during interrogation and escaped the facility before we could hang 'em." Gallagher sounded pissed, which was surprising seeing as he never saw eye-to-eye to the department's two Blade Runner prodigies. In fact, he probably had been forcibly promoted up a level since they were dead.

So, the whole department was _embarrassed_ by this incident. It must be a cold day in hell, Kai mused briefly.

"So, I'm your last resort? I would've thought Gallagher had learned _something_ after all these years. Or is he just here to look pretty?"

Behind him, Gallagher snarled and slammed his way out the room.

Captain Aodhan sighed again. In the poor lighting, he looked as if he had aged two decades since the last time Kai had seen him all those years ago. The large patches of gray in his hair were definitely new.

"I need the best, and you're it. I'm calling in the favor. Don't make me—"

Well, shit. He couldn't get out of this even if he wanted to, then.

"…Fine. Whatever." Kai straightened and leaned over slightly to ground the end of his cigarette into the overflowing ashtray. "I'll need a car. I'll take my usual rate, with half up-front."

A pained grimace on the Captain's face appeared for a fleeting moment before it was replaced with a twitch of relief. "Of course. I'll be right back."

Captain Aodhan left the room, and Kai shuffled through the files on the desk.

* * *

**Designation:**

Vella

**Gender:**

F

**Purpose:**

Military, Basic Pleasure Model

**Physical/Mental Level:**

B/A

**Last Seen:**

Rocheste

* * *

**Designation:**

Lynn

**Gender:**

F

**Purpose:**

Combat, Basic Pleasure Model

**Physical/Mental Level:**

B/C

**Last Seen:**

Rocheste

* * *

**Designation:**

Karok

**Gender:**

M

**Purpose:**

Military

**Physical/Mental Level:**

A/C

**Last Seen:**

Rocheste, Rep-Department

* * *

**Designation:**

Fiona

**Gender:**

F

**Purpose:**

Military, Basic Pleasure Model

**Physical/Mental Level:**

A/B

**Last Seen:**

Rocheste

* * *

"There's $1000 in here, and you can take Gallagher's car."

Captain Aodhan returned with an envelope and a car key. Kai took both and then opened the envelope to count the cash inside.

All of it was there. Good.

"Also, before you go," Captain Aodhan sat down heavily in his chair and rummaged around. He tossed a plastic card-like item over to Kai. "I'll need you to take a detour over to the Morrighan Corporation. There's been rumors of some new kind of Replicant, and I want you to take a look. Just in case."

Kai glanced down at the card; it was a signed pass for entry into the upper levels of the corporation, valid only for a one-time use. He noncommittally shrugged a shoulder and left the office. Might as well see what all the fuss was about.


	3. Chapter 3

The synthetic dragon-hatchling stared at Kai with blank eyes that sparked with a low level of artificial intelligence.

Kai stared back. He'd never seen a dragon before, even if it was fake.

So this was the other _projects_ the Morrighan Corporation spent their dollars on; diamond-studded collars for fake pets.

"Tarasque, come here."

The unknown voice – husky and smooth, like good whiskey and scotch – made Kai turn around in annoyance. It was rare that someone could enter a room without him noticing.

A handsome man dressed in a tailored, charcoal-hued suit emerged from the shadows. His face was carefully neutral as he took a few steps forward, his hands casually resting at his sides. The hatchling glided over gracefully and perched on the man's broad shoulders. He didn't even blink as the clawed feet of the hatchling dug deep to find its balance.

"It's artificial." Kai phrased it not as a question, but as a statement.

"Of course it is." The man's bored expression didn't change as he walked closer.

Kai leaned against the edge of the long table and shoved his hands into the pockets of his trenchcoat. The man was a head taller than him and twice as bulky, but Kai wasn't intimidated in the least.

"Welcome to the Morrighan Corporation, sir. I'm Hurk and I'll be assisting you today, should you have any questions."

A hand was held out for a handshake, and Kai took it warily. The other man's palm was calloused and scarred in odd places but surprisingly warm.

"Kai. I'm here on rumors of a new type of Replicant."

There was an odd gleam to the Hurk's eyes when the professional handshake ended. "It seems you feel our work is not a benefit to the public."

Kai shrugged a shoulder. "I'm only here to see if the Replicant's a hazard. Otherwise, it's not my problem."

Hurk gestured for him to take a seat, which Kai did. He also made sure to let his trenchcoat fall off to the side just enough so that the leg-holster with his gun was in plain sight.

The other man's eyes flickered down to the holster before going back up to Kai's face. "Before we begin, may I ask you a personal question?"

"No."

Hurk continued as if he didn't hear Kai's response, the look in his eyes curiously bold instead of blank. "Have you ever retired a human by mistake?"

Before Kai could answer, another voice cut in – this time, a female.

"Is this to be an empathy test? Voight-Kampff, the dilation of the iris, the flush-response?" A smartly attired woman with Asian features strode into the room with all the confidence in the world.

Kai got up from his seat, in a rare show of respect and politeness.

"Mr. Kai, Dr. Evie." Hurk straightened up his posture and clasped his hands behind his back. The mask of indifference was firmly back on. Even the hatchling on his shoulder adopted an air of stillness in the presence of the Morrighan Coporation's figurehead and leading scientist.

Dr. Evie had an aristocratic air that went hand-in-hand with the sharpness of her eyes. "I'd like to see a demonstration of this so-called test. How would you distinguish a human from a machine made to be human in almost every way possible…"

"On you?" Kai managed not to roll his eyes.

"No, no. I want to see a negative before I can provide you with a positive." Dr. Evie had an out-of-place expression of enthusiasm on her face.

Kai tried not to sigh. Rich people made no sense, and their demands more so. "What's that going to prove?"

The _look_ that Dr. Evie threw at him spoke of a patience that never had the time to grow beyond the span of a goldfish. "Indulge me. Try him."

The said assistant blinked when Dr. Evie pointed at him, but he barely reacted – aside from a very fleeting smirk that Kai almost missed had he blinked – as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table. The hatchling on his shoulder screeched before lifting off and gliding over to the other side of the room where its cage was.

"It's too bright in here." With that, Kai turned his back on them and took out the testing kit from the department-issued briefcase.

* * *

"Do you mind if I smoke?" The assistant had fished a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out from a pocket of his suit jacket.

"No. I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and I want you to answer honestly."

"Alright."

The cigarette lit with a sharp flash of an orange flame, and the smoke that trailed out from the end was deep blue in color. Huh, it was one of the expensive kinds.

Kai took a look at the iris and pupil that was magnified and projected on the screen of the device. So far, nothing alerted his instincts except for the slight hint of red that seemed to hide within the black of the pupil. It could be a genetic thing, or…

"It's your birthday. Someone gives you a catskin wallet."

Hurk leaned back slightly in his seat. "I wouldn't take it. I'd also report the person to the police."

Nothing changed yet, but it was still way too early to tell. "You meet a little girl, and she shows you her insect collection along with the killing jar."

"I'd report her parents to the police." Another calm exhale of that blue smoke.

Still no change in the eyes, posture, or facial expression. "You're reading a magazine and come across a full-page nude photo of a man."

"Is this testing whether I'm a Replicant or a homosexual, sir?" There was an undercurrent of amusement in Hurk's voice.

"Answer the question." Kai would've loved to snark back, but with Dr. Evie hovering over his shoulder that wasn't an option. "You show it to your wife, and she likes it so much that she hangs it on the bedroom wall."

"I wouldn't let her."

"Why not?" Another cloud of smoke made Kai's fingers twitch absently. He wanted a smoke, now.

"I should be enough for her."

* * *

After an hour of questions of a similar vein, Kai turned off the machine after it gave a low wail.

Kai gave a hard stare at Hurk, who smiled tightly and flicked the ashes from the end of his almost-done cigarette into the ashtray that had been conveniently provided.

Dr. Evie was quick to jump in. "Hurk, I'd like to talk to Mr. Kai alone."

"Certainly, ma'am. Sir." Hurk got up with a slight bow of his head and walked over to the door at an unhurried pace.

Kai waited until the door had slammed shut before speaking. "He's a Replicant."

"I'm impressed." Dr. Evie crossed her arms. "How many questions does it usually take?"

"Twenty. Thirty. Depends." Kai folded up the machine and set it back into the case.

"It took more than a hundred for my assistant. Interesting."

"He doesn't know." Kai got up from his seat and straightened his coat. "How does it not know what it is?"

"More human than human is our motto, Mr. Kai. We'd be doing a poor job of that, otherwise." The smile Dr. Evie had on her face was full of knives and concealed danger. "Hurk is an experiment. Nothing more, nothing less. I hope your department's curiosity has been more than satisfied, officer."

"It has." Kai's grip on the handle of the case tightened. "Thank you for your time, Dr. Evie."

As he left, Kai could feel the woman's dark eyes drilling holes into his back.


	4. Chapter 4

Despite being one of the best Blade Runners in the business, Kai lived in the same kind of cramped apartment housing just like the rest of the poor folk. The neighborhood was as shitty as it could get, the only streetlight that worked was always flickering, and hot water ran for only five minutes every day.

His place was just dusty from the grit that always came in through the cracked windows and dotted with empty beer bottles, rather than all-out filthy like most others were.

"Authorization?"

"Kai. Floor 80."

Kai shoved his apartment card into the slot and then took it out when prompted. The elevator started rumbling slowly upwards, and Kai's reflexes kicked in – the gun from his leg holster drawn up and cocked within a blink – when he heard a crinkle of fabric from behind him.

The muzzle of his gun was half an inch away from the face of Dr. Evie's Replicant assistant. The android hardly blinked at the weapon pointed at him. In fact, he looked entirely unconcerned and projected an air of harmlessness.

Kai lowered his gun, and then holstered it.

Kai knew for a fact that if this Replicant wanted to kill him, he would've done it by now or when he had pointed his gun at him. Instead, he just stood there as if he was like any bored human that was simply waiting for the elevator to stop.

The elevator doors slid open.

Without saying anything, Kai walked out of the elevator and towards the door to his apartment. His heart was racing, which was both unusual and not, given the circumstances.

"Despite what Dr. Evie may have told you, I'm not a Replicant." Hurk stepped out of the elevator with a grace more suited to a predator. The sharpness of his fine silhouette against the bright light and deep shadows coming from the barred windows was out-of-place among the graffitied concrete walls.

Kai swiped his card into the slot with hands that shook minutely. His voice was steady as he opened the door, however. "Take that up with her."

"She wouldn't answer."

Kai slammed the door in the middle of Hurk's sentence and leaned against the wood. After a moment and an uncharacteristic change of heart, Kai opened the door again.

Hurk's face had lost the blank neutrality that was typical of either the average Replicant or a professional assistant; instead, he looked… worried.

Kai shook his head and turned away. He left the door wide open, though.

When he reached his living room and dropped the kit onto the coffee table that was creaking underneath the weight of various gun parts and oil rags, the front door closed with a muted click. Deliberately heavy footsteps that made the wood flooring creak noisily followed.

"I have… photos. Of me, when I was younger." There was the crinkle of paper in uncertain hands as Kai poured himself half a tumbler of scotch.

He really, _really_ needed a drink.

"Really." Kai leaned against the back of the couch and watched Hurk hover, almost nervously, near the windows. It was as if the bright lights were soothing and familiar to him, rather than harsh and unwelcome as it usually was for Kai. "Do you remember the time you and your sister sneaked into an abandoned building to explore, but a flock of bats scared you so bad you wet yourself? Remember that?"

Kai watched the tanned face grow pale.

"You ever tell anybody that? Your mother? Or, what about that time you saw a spider spinning a web underneath your window? One day, there was an—"

"Egg. There was an egg, and it hatched into a hundred baby spiders. They ate the corpse of their mother before flying away in the wind." Hurk had his arms crossed defensively, and the nervous look on his face had transformed into one of agitation.

Kai downed his glass of scotch and set it down on an empty spot on the overburdened coffee table. "Implants, from Dr. Evie's nephew. Those aren't your memories. They're someone else's."

There was silence for a long moment, and Kai immediately felt like an asshole. Well, more of an asshole than he usually was. Taking out his frustrations on some scientist's assistant he met a few hours ago was a bad call, even if he _was_ an android. It was uncalled for, and a dickish move.

Kai ran his hand across his face. "You know what, just forget I said anything. I'm sorry. You're not a Replicant."

The Replicant straightened and the blank look returned, but he didn't meet Kai's eyes. The smooth baritone was now tense and restrained, as if he was holding back some emotion. "I… see."

Was there any way he could salvage the situation?

"You want a drink?" The other man's lips twisted into a frown. "I'll get you a glass."

Kai escaped to his kitchen and rooted around the dish rack for a clean tumbler. When he found one, he looked up and saw that the man was gone.

The front door closed with an echoing click.

Kai set the tumbler on the counter and stared at the brightly-lit area near the window that Hurk had occupied for a long while.


	5. Chapter 5

Lann shrieked in surprise when a person suddenly charged out from the large pile of trash to his left, shouldered past him, and sprinted over to where his truck was parked.

Instead, he let out an "Oof!" when a heavy trash bag full of stuff landed on his feet.

The woman – actually, more like a young girl from her tiny stature and lack of womanly assets – glared at him from her defensive position.

"Uh." Lann picked up the bag. "You dropped your stuff?"

The girl slowly inched her way over, and then snatched the bag from his hand when she got close enough. After a moment of silent staring, she whispered, "I'm lost."

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Lann smiled lopsidedly and hoped he didn't look like a creep. He definitely wasn't into little girls. "What's your name?"

"Lynn." The girl edged away slightly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lann."

The girl's eyes flashed with something he couldn't place. "Hi."

"Where are you goin'? Home?"

"I don't have one."

Lann took a step back, ready to unlock the gate to his apartment, when the girl took a step forward and smiled radiantly. "I'm sorry for… earlier."

"I've got food inside." Lann jumped at the chance to help her. She reminded him of his younger sister before she had died from the flu, to be honest. "You want to come in?"

"Can I stay tonight?" The girl blurted out, and Lann was momentarily surprised. "I was looking for a place for me and a friend to stay, but I lost her a while back. I'll go tomorrow."

"Uh, sure." Lann unlocked the gate and motioned her to follow. "I don't have a problem with that."

"Thanks!" The blinding grin was back.

* * *

Lann watched as the girl, Lynn, marveled over the heaps of automatons and simple androids that he had in his apartment.

"So, what do you do?"

Lann looked up from where he was putting pouring hot water into a bowl of noodles.

"I'm, uh… I'm what you'd call a genetic designer. It's just a fancy title, though. I make bodies for Replicants, improve them, things like that."

Since his back was turned, Lann missed the dangerous, knife-like smile that spread across Lynn's face.

"_Really_?"


	6. Chapter 6

The apartment of the third Replicant – Karok, his files had named – was a pigsty. Kai tried not to gag when he walked into the living room, which was drowned in empty bottles of women's perfume, empty ration wrappers, and spilled bottles of beer.

At a closer inspection, the contents of the ration wrappers were moulding in a small trashcan off to the side; Replicants could eat and drink but not in large quantities, and a Replicant posing as a human would have known this and thus made it seem like they ate and drank on a normal basis.

Kai went into the tiny bathroom that was adjoined to the living room. The fluorescent light took a moment to flicker on, and the glittering of something not-quite-transparent littering the mildew-lined bathtub caught his attention.

With one of the little zip bags used for collecting evidence, Kai picked up one of the glittery material. From touch alone, it felt smooth and partially slimy, like a fish scale. He put it in the baggie and stowed it away in one of the pockets of his trenchcoat.

* * *

"What kind of fish?" The old woman at the counter was fiddling with her microscope and made some noises.

"Not fish. Fake snake. White man down there sell."

Kai took the scale back and handed the crotchety old woman a dollar.

Shoving his way through the crowd, Kai found the snake shop. The young man with the sneer and the blond hair got on his nerves immediately.

"Who was the last person you sold your snakes to?" Kai held out his old detective badge and Blade Runner card in hopes that it would facilitate a faster response.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with non-paying customers—"

"Listen," Kai dragged the guy down a notch with a fist in his tie. "I've got four Replicants running around, and one of them has a snake from _your_ shop. If you don't want me to send the strike team down on your ass, _tell me who you sold this snake to_."

"Alright!" The man swatted at his hands, and Kai barely refrained from drawing his gun and shoving it in his face. "The woman who owns the Strip Bar down the street bought one a week ago! Something about a new dancer!"

Kai dropped the guy and stalked out of the shop. The files had mentioned that the Replicants had escaped a week before, and since most of them were pleasure models it wasn't unlikely that one would try to get a job somewhere seedy while staying low.


	7. Chapter 7

The Strip Bar was owned by some woman named Caryl, who was less than helpful when Kai had asked about who she'd given the snake to. All she did was tell him to sit his ass down, buy a drink, and he'd find out soon enough. If he tried to ask anything else, she threatened to have security throw him out.

Seeing as this was his only lead, Kai waited, with a neon-colored, watered-down alcoholic drink in both hands.

Within the hour, he was still sober. Damn.

"Up next," The announcer shouted to the thick crowd of sweaty bodies, "We have Fiona, the Serpant's Mistress!"

Kai sat up from his slouch.

Well, there was his answer.

* * *

Kai breathed heavily and stared down at the slumped body of Fiona-the-Serpent's-Mistress as she bled through the revealing garments she was dressed in. Surrounded by broken glass and lying in a puddle of her own synthetic blood, her face was permanently twisted into an expression of terror.

The single shot to her chest – right where her central processor would be – did her in, but her body had fallen through a glass window display from how fast she had been pushing herself to run.

Kai hated when they ran. It made his job _that_ much harder.

Kai holstered his gun as the police came running up. His badge and card were out and summarily checked before he was free to go.

He watched as the officers bundled up the android's body in a swatch of blue tarp and threw the body into the trunk, just to make sure she wasn't going to get back up while he wasn't looking.

It paid to be careful, after all.

A hand tapped his left shoulder, and Kai turned around to see Captain Aodhan in all of his soaked glory.

"Well, I'd normally tell you 'Good job' and send you on your way, but the property damage means I'll have to dock 3% out from the rest of your pay."

"Well, fuck you too." Kai glared at the Captain, who shrugged.

"You've got four more to go, so the dock won't be too bad."

"Three more." Kai paused.

"It's four, now. I got a call earlier from Morrighan Corp. Apparently one of the Replicants – the one you talked to, I think – disappeared and can't be found. The doc said it had something to do with a new brain implant gone wrong." Captain Aodhan got back into the police cruiser and Gallagher sneered from the driver's seat.

The policemen left, and Kai was then left alone to his thoughts in the middle of a downpour.

* * *

While walking along the route back to his apartment, Kai was taken by surprise when someone slammed him into the wall before sending a fist into his stomach.

Kai managed to counter the next punch and pushed back just enough to see his attacker.

Within a second, he could place a name to the giant of a man that was currently slamming him into another wall.

_Karok_. The third Replicant on his list.

Another fist introduced itself to his kidneys. "That was for Fiona, you son of a bitch!"

Kai took the opportunity to send the Replicant stumbling back from a punch to the nose, the crushed pseudo-cartilage dripping synthetic blood.

Kai drew his gun, but a well-placed smack sent the weapon skittering to the ground several feet away. Then he got thrown into the windshield of a parked car, but he managed to roll off before another punch could meet his ribs.

It was a good thing he rolled off in time, too. Karok's fist went right through the reinforced glass like a knife through wet tissue paper.

"It's painful, living in fear, _isn't it_!"

This Replicant was fucking _insane_!

Kai barely had time to dodge a fist aimed at his face before being thrown into the wall again. Angry fists grabbed the lapels of his trenchcoat and lifted him up like he weighed nothing.

Karok leaned in close, his grin completely unhinged. "Time to die."

"I agree."

With a _**BANG!**_ that was deafening at such close range, the Replicant's head burst apart like a smashed melon from the power of the point-blank shot, sending pieces of the metal skull – including the positronic brain and the polymer shell-plating – and synthetic blood splattering everywhere. The deactivated android tipped forward and took Kai with him.

The oppressive weight of the giant android rolled off a few seconds later.

"I had hoped I wasn't too late, sir."

A faux-leather-gloved hand reached out to help him, and Kai grabbed it.

Once standing, Kai leaned back against the brick wall he'd been tossed against a few times, catching his breath. As the ringing in his ears faded, he eyed the Hurk's new outfit.

The tasteful suit had been replaced with an unzipped black pleather jacket, a gray t-shirt, a pair of faded jeans, and metal-tipped boots. Instead of a mild-mannered assistant, the Replicant looked… human. _Incredibly_ human. Although human wasn't quite the word he'd use to describe that firm—

"Here." His gun was held out to him, handle first. Kai took it and stowed it back into his holster.

"…Thanks."

"I think I'd like to have that drink you were offering, earlier. If it's still on the table."

Kai looked up at hopeful eyes, and this time he couldn't quite bring himself to look away.

"Yeah. Sure. A drink sounds good."


	8. Chapter 8

His apartment was just as he had left it several hours ago, but this time Kai's hands were shaking noticeably from the pain in his ribs and face as he poured two glasses full of vodka.

His stained and wet trenchcoat was hanging over the shower bar in the bathroom. Since he wasn't expecting the Replicant to suddenly turncoat and kill him, Kai rolled up the sleeves of his off-white dress shirt and set his gun down on the coffee table. Hopefully this wouldn't bite him back in the ass, later.

Hurk had taken the offered glass and returned to his spot next to the window. The venetian blinds were drawn this time, however, so the light that did come through painted stripes of dark shadows across the android's unmarred face.

The alcohol burned worse than it usually did going down, and when Kai put the glass down he noticed that some blood was swirling around in the clear liquid.

The silence was heavy, but not uncomfortable.

"Do your hands always shake after a kill?"

Kai looked over and that the other man's gloved hands were absolutely still around fragile glass, just like the rest of him. So much for playing tough, like earlier. "It's part of the business."

Kai downed the rest of his vodka, bloody mouth and all.

"I am the business." There was a note of melancholy to Replicant's tone before the inflection faded and settled into the tiny cracks of his newfound humanity.

Kai set down the glass a little too harshly onto the coffee table and headed into the kitchen. His mouth was killing him, even with the help of the alcohol.

He managed to spit out two mouthfuls of blood and wiggle a loose molar before the hairs of his neck stood up.

Hurk was standing by the entryway to the kitchen, his glass of vodka untouched. There was a dark look in his eyes that spoke of self-control and learned wariness that was easily visible despite that poor lighting of the kitchen.

"If I ran, would you come after me? Kill me?"

Kai used an old dishrag – it was probably clean - to wipe at his mouth. It took a moment longer than normal for him to think his response through.

"No," He couldn't believe he was saying this, but he meant it. Kai threw the towel down on top of the dish rack. "I owe you one. But someone else will."

Kai walked past Hurk, who slid out of the way so that he could pass by without touching. He lay down heavily on the couch and reached for the half-empty bottle of vodka.

Hurk didn't return to his spot by the window; he instead opted to lean his hip against the back of the couch and faced the out-of-place piano that was half-buried underneath papers and manual tools.

"Did you ever take that test yourself?"

Silence was his answer.

Hurk turned and saw that the other man had passed out, the bottle of vodka wedged in a small space between his body and the couch cushion.

* * *

The piano was an ugly sight to behold, but Hurk was much more interested in the pictures that adorned every inch of available space.

Hurk set down the still-full glass of vodka on top of a stack of papers and sat down carefully on the bench.

Most pictures were of unfamiliar faces men, women, and children smiling and laughing, but some _were_ familiar. In fact, two of the pictures were just like the ones he had believed to be of his own childhood.

Hurk took out his own copies and compared them.

They were exactly the same, down to the last elegant loop of ink on the backs from a proud mother on the day of her child's fifth birthday.

So. It was true. He is—

There was a creak of old springs, and Hurk looked over to see that Kai was sitting up, one arm pressed over what was most likely bruised ribs. The bottle of vodka clunked back onto the coffee table.

"Do you play?" Kai's voice was low and rough, almost reminiscent of a growl.

Hurk turned to study the sheet music. After a moment, his right hand played through a simple melody that jarred against his nerves. It wasn't _right_…

"Perhaps, perhaps not. I don't remember, either way."

Kai limped over and looked at the sheet music for a moment, before he reached over Hurk's shoulder and pressed a key that was right next to his hand. "D, not C-sharp."

Long fingers, roughly calloused with both good and bad experiences in life, expertly played the melody, and Hurk watched as each note followed through like they were made for each other.

Hurk didn't startle – it was a little human nuance, but it was something his creator had left out on purpose when she made him – when a hand fisted in his hair and pulled his head back.

The pain in his scalp was rendered negligible as his systems focused on the sudden feeling of teeth scraping up his neck and nipping at his shaved jawline.

The sudden shift in attention was strange. Not foreign, not entirely _unwelcome_, but…

Hurk shoved the other man away – his eyes were more-or-less dilated, typical of inebriated or aroused humans - as gently as he could and stood up, truly uncertain for the first time in his short life.

"Kai. I'm not sure—" Hurk edged towards the entryway, where the front door would be.

With a show of strength that surprised him, Hurk's back ended up slamming against the wall next to the window, his jacket and shirt bunched up in Kai's fists.

"Ask me to kiss you."

The smell of alcohol wasn't strong at all. In fact, it was barely there, so… he wasn't drunk in the least.

"I-"

"_Ask me to kiss you_."

"…Kiss me."

With that, Kai pressed all of his repressed emotions and wants into that one kiss that left him gasping for breath. When they parted, the other man's lips were smeared an enticing maroon from the blood that was still sluggishly seeping from the cut inside his mouth and the loose molar.

A flare of bright light from the world outside shone through the blinds, sending strips of shadows skittering across their faces as they breathed heavily within the silence of the apartment.

"_Ask me to touch you_."

"…Touch me."

The hands gripping his clothes let go, and Hurk shrugged his jacket off and let it fall to the floor. His gloves were tugged off next, and then his shirt went up and over his head to be tossed… somewhere.

"Let me please you, sir…"

"_Call me that again_."

"Sir…?"

The raspy words coming out of his mouth were remnants of a faded memory. Hurk didn't particularly want to remember _how_ or _when_, so he focused his efforts on undoing the buttons on the other man's shirt.

Hurk slid his hands down the man's bare sides, mindful of the bruising on the muscled torso, and let the other man slowly push him down onto his knees.

One hand tangled encouragingly into his hair, and the other guided him towards his salvation.

Hurk didn't dare say the next three words that were his last truly coherent thoughts of the night, before the pre-programmed pleasure module in his head took over:

_Love me. Please._


	9. Chapter 9

The ride up the elevator was filled with an emotion Lann couldn't quite place, but it was electrifying. He finally felt alive, after so long hiding in the shadows underneath the weight of his benefactor.

The smile on Lynn's face was just as enthusiastic as his, but Vella's…

Vella's smile was downright terrifying.

Lann swallowed and tried not to let the ugly claws of panic ensnare him further than it already had. He had made friends that cared about him, and he was going to finally win that chess game against the famed Dr. Evie!

The elevator stopped with a whirr of noise and the doors slid open to reveal an opulent bedroom.

"Lann? Is that you? I can't believe how you've managed to checkmate me in two moves, but I'll say you've grown quite a lot since our last match-"

Dressed in a fluffy bathroom, Dr. Evie's eyes widened and she cut her ramblings short when she noticed the two other people that were with Lann.

"Miss, I… I brought friends." Lann smiled, and hoped that she wouldn't mind.

Vella pushed past Lann roughly, and he nearly fell over from in confusion. Lynn's grip on his arm turned almost unbearable.

"It's not an easy thing, meeting your maker." Vella sauntered over, a dangerous gleam of insanity in her eyes.

Lynn dragged Lann over with each step she took. He let her.

"What can I do for you?" Dr. Evie aimed the question towards Vella, who was steadily advancing closer.

"Can the maker repair what she makes?" The last word was hissed out, like it was tainted. Toxic.

Dr. Evie circled the chess table, putting some space between her and her creation. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Death." Vella stalked even closer, her entire posture screaming that she was ready to pounce, to devour, the _consume_. "I want more life, _mother_. Four years is not enough!"

Dr. Evie stilled, and then smiled coldly. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible at your stage."

Vella circled the doctor. "What about a protein to block the process?"

"You'd get a virus that would kill every subject within minutes. I'm sorry."

Vella sat down on the edge of the doctor's bed, blank-faced in the flickering light of the candles. "You…"

"You were made the best we could make you." The woman poured herself a glass of red wine.

"But not to last." With that note of finality in her tone, Vella got up and strode over to where the doctor was sipping her wine. Before she could react, her hands were around the doctor's neck, synthetic muscles working together to crush skin, bones, and musclewith an inhuman force.

"The light… that burns twice… as bright… burns… half… as long…" She forced every word between each scrap of breath she could get before she slumped forward, still and unmoving.

Lann gaped in horror as Vella dropped the Dr. Evie's body to the floor like it was a sack of trash.

A giggle to his left, and then a young girl's tiny hands circled his throat and _squeezed_.


	10. Chapter 10

Squinting through the blood dripping into his eye from the cut above his brow, Kai aimed his gun and pulled the trigger.

The bullet unfailingly pierced the chest of the youngest Replicant on his list – little Lynn – and sent her sprawling against the wall.

Kai was beginning to regret answering the call on the police scanners an hour earlier. Who would've expected that a routine _figure out the noise disturbance_ would have turned into a fight for his life.

"YOU TOOK HER! YOU WON'T TAKE ME!"

An anguished, piercing howl blasted through the broken windows; the residence of the missing Dr. Lann was in shambles, the eccentric man's automatons and furniture shattered into irreparable pieces by a furious madwoman.

Three down. One to go.


	11. Chapter 11

The rain made every footstep he took an almost-fall, and it didn't help that his dominant hand was useless from the stabbing he'd took from the crazy Replicant.

It didn't help he was still being pursued by the android. The howling got closer, and the wild look in her eyes was horrendously blood-curdling. His gun was long gone, and the emptiness in his leg-holster just made the panic running through his head much worse.

With his instincts running ahead of his brain, Kai took the leap of faith across the gap between the buildings and ended up nearly falling to his death. He was holding onto a jutting piece of metal on the roof, but just barely.

A heavy thump, and the female Replicant's insane eyes watched him flail and slip further off the metal lifeline.

He was going to die.

"Quite an experience, isn't it? To live in fear… that's what it means to be a slave."

His fingers scrabbled, and then he was grabbing onto nothing—

A vice grip caught his wrist, and slowly dragged him back up onto the roof.

The woman gave him a curious look, and then tossed him over towards the middle of the roof.

Kai sputtered and scrambled back, dazed.

She… saved. Him. He wasn't dead. She saved him.

The Replicant walked over to him, the madness in her eyes gone and replaced by an odd calmness. She stopped about a foot away and then sat down, cross-legged.

"I've seen… things… that you people wouldn't… believe…" The broken whispers were directed towards him, but her empty gaze was fixed at a point beyond his shoulder.

There was a white dove in her hands.

"All these… moments. My moments. They'll be lost in time, like tears… in rain." There was a wistful spark in her eyes as she looked through Kai, as if he wasn't even there.

Her face turned to the sky, as if the water had the power to wash away her sins. "Time to die."

The dove flew off from hands that no longer had life in them, free and unburdened. Pure.

Kai wiped a hand across his face to get rid of the blood that was sticking to his eyelashes.

"You've done quite the job, Blade Runner." Gallagher's nasal sneer echoed through the noise of the rain, and Kai forced himself to his feet.

Where the hell did he come from? When did he get here?

"I guess you're through with retiring…"

Kai glared at the other man, whose expression was grim and hardened for once. "…I'm finished. Tell the Captain to fuck off. He won't get any more favors from me."

Gallagher threw something over, and the object slid across concrete with a loud scrape.

It was his gun. Kai picked it up with his good hand and set it back in his holster.

Kai watched Gallagher walk back to the police cruiser, but after four steps he turned back around.

"It's too bad he won't live!" Gallagher's shout didn't sound haughty in the least; in fact, it was as if he almost pitied Kai. "But then again, who does!"


	12. Chapter 12

Kai slumped heavily against the door to his apartment, soaking wet and dry heaving. The card was taking too long to fit through the slot, his hands were shaking furiously from the toxic combination of fear, panic, and pain.

Once the card managed to get in, the door clicked open and Kai nearly fell over.

The apartment was quiet. Too quiet.

Kai prayed to every God and Goddess he knew in his head that he wasn't too late.

"Hurk?"

No reponse.

The living room was empty.

So was the kitchen.

Kai edged into the bedroom and eyed the blanket-covered slump on one side of the bed with trepidation. There were no signs of blood or foul play, but…

Kai lifted the edge of the blanket and the peaceful face of his Replicant lover greeted him. He was still and unmoving… could he be…?

He pressed of his fingers against the pulse point on the bared neck and nearly collapsed when he felt the slow and steady beats of a working synthetic heart.

* * *

"Where will we go?" Hurk stood in his customary place by the window, fully dressed and holding a duffel bag full of necessities.

"Anywhere but here. Maybe off-world." Replicants weren't illegal in the colonies, so maybe they could sneak on one of the transports. It'd be better than running until they didn't have any time left…

…Not that they had much time left, anyways. The clock was ticking, for both of them.

"Let's go." Kai took a glance back at the shitty apartment he had lived in for a decade. He wouldn't miss this place, to be honest.

Hurk went through the door first and went to buzz the elevator. Kai locked the door behind him and turned.

He took a step, and something crunched underneath his shoe.

_What_…

Kai moved his foot aside.

A toothpick had been snapped and bent to form the crude figure of a fish.

Gallagher's calling card... it was a warning, _he had been here_, but he didn't…

"Sir?"

Kai looked up to see Hurk waiting for him, half-hidden within the deep shadows of the elevator.

He left the crushed remains of the toothpick-fish where it was and walked into the elevator.

Neither could afford to look back, so they didn't.


End file.
